Particle collector and erasing shield for typewriters



Aug. 30, 1960 M. D. JOHNSON 2,950,803

PARTICLE COLLECTOR AND ERASING SHIELD FOR TYPEWRITERS I Filed July 23, 1959 INVENTOR.

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Rttorne PARTICLE COLLECTOR AND ERASING SHIELD FOR TYPEWRITERS Mary D. Johnson, 401 11th Ave. SW., Decatur, Ala.

Filed July 23, 1959, Ser. No. 829,063

4 Claims. (Cl. 197181) This'invention relates to a combination particle collecting and shielding device for typewriters and more particularly to such a device that is pivotally mounted on the typewriter for movement between operable and inoperable positions.

Heretofore, combination particle collecting and shielding devices have been of a single integral member and no provision has been made to mount an erasing shield and a particle collecting tray for individual pivotal movement between a pair of arms pivotally mounted on a typewriter. The erasing shield is used to protect the sheets behind the sheet on which erasures are being made so that other copies will not be smudged by carbons and the collecting tray collects particles falling from the erased sheet.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a combination particle collecting and shielding device mounted on the typewriter for pivotal movement between an operable position in which the erasing shield is positioned over the platen of the typewriter and the collecting tray is positioned adjacent the lower edge of the shield and an inoperable position in which the tray and shield are removed from the platen.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a bracket pivotally mounted on the typewriter and having an erasing shield and a particle collecting tray individually mounted for pivotal movement on the bracket relative to each other and relative to the bracket.

An additional object of the invention is to provide in a combination particle collecting and shielding device for a typewriter, a generally V-shaped particle collecting tray that is pivotally mounted at one of its upper edges on a holding bracket and arranged so that it pivots by gravity against the shield when the device is in an operable position on the platen of the typewriter.

Features of my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a typewriter on which my device is pivotally mounted in an operable position, no paper sheets being shown in the typewriter;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the erasing shield and particle collecting tray in the operable position shown in Fig. 1;

:Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of my device in operable position showing an erasure being made on a sheet of paper positioned between the erasing shield and the collecting tray;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of my device in operable position shown removed from the platen of the typewriter and pivoted to a rearward position so that it does not interfere with the normal operation of the typewriter; and,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a connection of my device looking generally along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring now in detail to the drawing for a better understanding of my invention, I show in Fig. -1 a typeatent O Patented Aug. 30, 1960 writer indicated generally by the numeral 10 and having a platen 11 thereon. An operating knob 12 is positioned on each end of platen 11 for rotating the platen in a manner well known in the art. A retaining bar 13 is pivotally mounted at 14 on typewriter 10 to hold the sheets in position on platen 11 and as shown in Fig. 1, the retaining bar 13 is in an inoperable position.

A supporting holder is indicated at 16 and is fixedly mounted at 17 on the rear of typewriter 10. A bracket comprising two parallel supporting arms 18 is pivotally mounted by pins 19 on yokes 21. An abutment 15 is formed by each of yokes 21 and arms 18 contact the abutments when the bracket is moved to inoperable position as shown in Fig.4.

An erasing shield 22 is mounted between supporting arms 18 on a bar 23 that is secured to arms 18 by suitable threaded nuts 24. Erasing shield 22 pivots relative to bar 23 and relative to arms 18. A generally V-shaped particle collecting tray is indicated generally by the numeral 26 and has one of its upper edges 27 mounted for pivotal movement on a bar 28 extending between arms 18 and connected to arms 18 by suitable threaded nuts 29. The other upper edge 30 of particle collecting tray 26 is turned outwardly so that it rests by gravity against the lower edge of shield 22 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Tray 26 is urged by gravity against shield 22 and will return to this position if it is tilted away from shield 22 while in operable position. By having both tray 26 and shield 22 pivotally mounted, the arms 18 may be pivoted from the inoperable position shown in Fig.4 to the operable position shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and tray 26 will automatically pivot into operable position along with shield 22 without any separate movements.

In operable position as shown in Fig. 3, a paper sheet S on which erasures are being made is positioned over shield 22 and extends between edge 30 and shield 22 around the platen. A carbon C and a copy sheet A are positioned beneath sheet S under erasing shield 22. An erasing instrument is indicated by the numeral 32 and the particles formed by the erasures on sheet S fall downwardly into particle collecting tray 26. The outturned edge 30 forms a smooth surface to guide the particles downwardly into the V-shaped section of tray 26.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided a pivotally mounted bracket on which is mounted an erasing shield and a particle collecting tray which pivot individually relative to the bracket and relative to each other. As shown in Fig. 4, the supporting arms 18 may be pivoted to an inoperable position removed from the platen of the typewriter to operable position on the platen as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The tray 26 is generally V-shaped' and is arranged so that it pivots by gravity against the lower edge of erasing shield 22 when in operable position. This arrangement is accomplished by pivotally mounting the tray 26 at one of its upper edges while the other edge is outturned and bears against the erasing shield to form a smooth surface for the downwardly moving particles that are erased from the sheet positioned between erasing shield 22 and particle collecting tray 26.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An attachment adapted to be positioned over the platen of a typewriter to collect erased particles and to shield sheets beneath the sheet being erased, said attachment comprising a bracket adapted to be mounted on said typewriter and pivoted between an operable position over the platen and an inoperable position removed from the platen, an erasing shield pivotally carried by said rbracketand adapted. to extend in parallel relation to said platen, and a separate tray pivotally mounted on.

said bracket adjacent the erasing shield to collect. particles formed when the operator of the typewriter makes an erasure, said tray being adapted to extend in parallel relation to said platen and being positioned adjacent the lower edge of said shield in operable position whereby particles from the sheet being erased fall downwardly into said tray.

2. The combination with a typewriter having a platen of a bracket embodying two arms pivotally mounted on the typewriter, one arm being positioned adjacent one end of the platen and the other arm being positioned adjacent the other end of the platen, an erasing shield extending between and pivotally supported by said arms, and a tray extending between and pivotally carried by said arms in spaced relation to said shield, said arms being movable from operable position in which said shield is positioned over the platen and the tray is positioned adjacent the lower edge of the shield directly adjacent the platen to inoperable position in which the shield and tray are removed from the platen.

3. In combination with a typewriter having a platen, a bracket having two arms pivotally mounted on the typewriter, one arm being positioned adjacent one end of the platen and the other arm being positioned adjacent the other end of the platen, an erasing shield pivotally carried by said arms and extending between the arms in a direction parallel to the platen, and a generally V-shaped tray pivotally supported from one of its upper edges by the arms and spaced from said erasing shield, said arms being pivoted from operable position in which said shield is positioned over the platen and the other of said upper edges of said tray is positioned adjacent the lower edge of the shield to inoperable position in which the tray and shield are removed from the platen,

4. In combination with a typewriter having a platen, a bracket having two arms pivotally mounted on the typewriter, one arm being positioned adjacent one end of the platen and the other arm being positioned adjacent the other end of the platen, an erasing shield pivotally carried by said arms and extending between the arms in a direction parallel to the platen, and a generally V-shaped tray pivotally mounted at one of its upper edges on the arms in spaced relation to said erasing shield, the other of said upper edges being curved outwardly to rest adjacent the lower edge of the erasing shield in operable position thereof, said tray being pivotally mounted on said arms so that said other upper edge tilts and is held by gravity against the lower edge of the erasing shield in operable position thereof, said arms being movable from operable position in which the shield is positioned over the platen and the tray is positioned adjacent the lower edge of the shield to inoperable position in which the tray and shield are pivoted rearwardly away from the platen.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

